[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 19, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-9406]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 19, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
 

Opportunities for Industrial Partnering With the New Independent 
States of the Former Soviet Union

AGENCY: Department of Energy, Albuquerque Operations Office.

ACTION: Workshop for Industrial Partnering with the Multiprogram 
National Laboratories and the New Independent States of the Former 
Soviet Union (NIS IPP).

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SUMMARY: Today's notice is announcing a workshop for the Industrial 
Partnering Program with the New Independent States (NIS) of the Former 
Soviet Union. U.S. private sector entities including industry, 
universities, foundations and other organizations which have a strong 
interest in promoting, and investing in, commercial relationships 
between U.S. entities and NIS institutes are invited to attend.
    The purpose of the workshop is to describe to academia and U.S. 
private sector entities (1) the scope of the NIS Industrial Partnering 
Program, (2) the terms of a DOE-U. S. Industry Coalition (USIC) 
partnership arrangement, (3) the opportunities available to USIC 
members, and (4) the terms and conditions of USIC membership. 
Suggestions for improving the program will also be solicited.

DATES: DOE will hold a workshop on April 25, 1994, in Albuquerque, New 
Mexico. A reception will be held on the evening of April 24. Workshop 
attendees must preregister. A registration fee will be charged at the 
time of registration. Copies of the presentation materials will be 
available at the Workshop. Workshop Minutes, along with the attendance 
list and answers to questions that would be of interest to multiple 
attendees, will be distributed to the attendees after the Workshop.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information about the 
Workshop (including the registration fee) for the DOE-NIS Industrial 
Partnering Program can be obtained by calling (505) 845-4555. Written 
requests can be sent to the U.S. Department of Energy, Albuquerque 
Operations Office, Energy and Technologies Division, P.O. Box 5400, 
Albuquerque, NM 87185-5400. FAX requests may be sent to (505) 845-5960. 
When requesting information, please provide the name and address of 
your company, a ``point-of-contact,'' telephone number, and FAX number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Foreign Operations Appropriations Act of 
1994 contains a provision (section 575) designating $35,000,000 for a 
``Ukraine/Russia Stabilization Partnerships Program.'' The Secretary of 
Energy has been charged with the implementation of the program, which 
allowed for the inclusion of the other New Independent States (NIS), 
and is now referred to as the ``NIS Industrial Partnering Program.''
    The program will have two principal components. Both are intended 
to assist NIS institutes with converting from defense to commercial 
applications thereby reducing the potential for the proliferation of 
weapons of mass destruction. The first component is designed to engage 
the scientists and engineers at key technical and scientific institutes 
of the NIS in non-defense activities. This component is an expansion of 
unclassified cooperative non-defense research and development 
activities that have been conducted for some time between individual 
DOE National Laboratories and individual NIS institutes.
    The second component is designed to assist in stabilizing the NIS 
technical and scientific infrastructure, to encourage the 
commercialization of NIS technologies, and promote the development in 
the NIS of market-oriented economies. A number of cost-shared 
international industrial partnerships will be formed, each involving at 
least one DOE National Laboratory, one NIS institute, and at least one 
U.S. industrial entity, whose contribution to the success of the 
partnership will be critical. A significant portion of the U.S. 
Government contribution to support the program is intended for NIS 
institutes to spur follow-on trade and investment by U.S. industry.
    In July 1993, DOE sponsored a meeting, involving representatives 
from the National Laboratories and representatives of U.S. private 
sector entities with experience in NIS-to-U.S. technology transfer and 
commercialization. As a result of that, and subsequent meetings, it was 
concluded that a program of commercial industry-selected partnerships 
to invest in NIS technologies would be facilitated if a consortium of 
U.S. private sector entities could be established. The Secretary of 
Energy would then enter into a cooperative agreement with such a 
consortium, using the authority, and under the terms set out in the 
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the National Competitiveness Technology 
Transfer Act of 1989, the Cooperative Research Act of 1984, and other 
applicable statutes. The consortium would be required to give special 
attention to the needs of small businesses under the program.
    Accordingly, U.S. industry representatives have voluntarily formed 
and incorporated the U.S. Industry Coalition (USIC) with an interim 
Board of Directors. Membership in USIC will be required for 
participation in cost-sharing projects that involve the section 575 
funds. Membership in USIC will be open to all U.S. entities, including 
universities, consortia, and corporations incorporated in the United 
States.
    Program questions may be raised during the Question and Answer 
periods of the Workshop. Questions that would be of interest to 
multiple attendees may be included in the Workshop Minutes which will 
be distributed to attendees after the Workshop.

    Issued in Albuquerque, NM, April 7, 1994.
Richard A. Marquez,
Assistant Manager for Management and Administration.
[FR Doc. 94-9406 Filed 4-18-94; 8:45 am]
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